Elvis Presley’s jumpsuits eventually became so extravagant that they almost looked like costumes from another world.
Huge collars. Glittering stones. Giant belts. Capes covered in eagles, dragons and flames.
But they were not created simply to make Elvis look expensive.
Behind the spectacle was a surprisingly practical idea: Elvis needed clothes that allowed him to move freely while making sure thousands of people could still see him clearly from the back of an arena.
Designer Bill Belew first worked with Elvis on the 1968 television special, creating the famous black leather outfit that helped redefine Elvis’s image.
When Elvis returned to Las Vegas the following year, the challenge changed.
Elvis wanted to incorporate his increasingly prominent karate-style movements into his act.
Belew therefore looked toward stretch fabrics used by ice skaters because they allowed performers to bend, turn and move without being restricted. The first stage outfits were simple karate-inspired two-piece suits. By 1970, those evolved into the one-piece jumpsuits that became inseparable from Elvis’s image.
Even the famous choice of white had a purpose.
Belew said they experimented with colors such as blue, red and black, but white proved particularly effective because stage lighting could illuminate Elvis more clearly.
The idea was not for the clothing to overpower him.
It was to make sure Elvis remained the focus.
Elvis in the American Eagle Jumpsuit
No outfit demonstrated that philosophy better than the American Eagle jumpsuit created for Aloha from Hawaii in 1973.
For once, Elvis gave Belew a very specific instruction.
He wanted the outfit to “say America.”
Belew considered using the American flag before deciding that the eagle would create a stronger symbol. Elvis immediately approved the idea. The white suit was covered with a red, blue and gold eagle design that could shine under television lighting while giving Elvis an unmistakably American image for the international broadcast.
But one of the most famous parts of the outfit nearly became a disaster.
Belew originally designed an enormous floor-length cape.
When Elvis tried it on in Hawaii, it was so heavy that he stepped forward and fell backward.
Elvis simply could not perform while carrying its weight.
Belew’s team then had just over a day to create the much shorter cape audiences eventually saw during the concert.
It was not the only time Elvis’s movement forced the designs to change.
Belew later admitted that the long fringe used on some early outfits could become wrapped around Elvis while he moved and played guitar. The stage clothing constantly had to balance appearance with what Elvis actually did during a performance.
As the 1970s continued, the suits became increasingly elaborate.
Embroiderer and designer Gene Doucette helped turn them into detailed pieces featuring phoenixes, dragons, butterflies, eagles and other symbols. By the middle of the decade, some designs could take enormous amounts of work to complete.
One of the most personal was the Mad Tiger suit.
The roaring tiger design referred to Elvis’s karate nickname, “Mr. Tiger,” given to him by martial-arts instructor Kang Rhee. Graceland describes the orange, black and jeweled design as intentionally reflecting the power Elvis projected onstage.
That evolution explains why Elvis’s jumpsuits became larger and more dramatic as his concerts moved into huge arenas.
They were clothing, but they were also part of the performance.
The flared legs exaggerated movement. The sparkling surfaces caught the lights. The wide belts and high collars created a recognizable silhouette. And the capes could make one man standing onstage appear much larger when viewed from thousands of seats away.
Today, many of these outfits are preserved and exhibited as pieces of Elvis history. Graceland has described the craftsmanship of Belew, Doucette and their team as works of art.
The rhinestones may have looked excessive, but behind them was careful design. Elvis Presley’s jumpsuits were created to let him move like an athlete, shine under arena lights and become the larger-than-life figure audiences expected the moment he stepped onto the stage.